Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra has said that the State government’s decision to provide cash instead of rice for the beneficiaries will not benefit many as BPL cards have not been linked with bank accounts.
At a press conference here on Thursday, Mr. Raghavendra said when the BJP leaders, including B.Y. Vijayendra, suggested providing cash if the government failed to procure rice, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had questioned if people could eat money. “Now, they have taken a decision to provide cash. Will the beneficiary eat the money? Moreover, the BPL cardholders have not linked their Aadhaar numbers with their bank accounts. The process takes a long time. Hence, it is not clear how many people will get the cash,” he said.
Further, he said the Congress had promised 10 kg of rice in the campaign. The Centre had been giving 5 kg. The State government should give 10 kg extra, excluding the 5 kg given by the Centre. “If they want to give money instead of rice, they should give an amount equivalent to 10 kg of rice,” he said.
Reacting to former Minister Kimmane Ratnakar’s statement to stage a protest demanding the Centre credit ₹15 lakh to all citizens of the country, Mr. Raghavendra said that the PM never gave such an assurance. He only said that if the money stashed outside the country was brought back to India, it would be enough to distribute ₹ 15 lakh each to all citizens.
When asked if the Centre had brought back the money stashed in foreign banks, Mr. Raghavendra said the Central government had been making efforts in this regard. “It takes time, as the government has to follow a long legal procedure to bring back the money,” he said.
